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Enrollment Policies and Process

Enrollment and Admission Process

 

What are the deadlines for the 2023-2024 school year that I should be aware of?
  • Application opens on October 1st.
  • February 15th is the first priority application deadline for the lottery.
  • February 16th is when the lottery will take place for students whose applications have been received.
  • Families will be notified about the lottery results by Friday, March 3rd via call, email or letter
  • Families must confirm by Monday, April 3rd to give other families on the waitlist opportunity for acceptance.
Important dates
  • October 1st
    Priority application opens for the upcoming school year. Apply online or call the school's office to arrange a time to visit.
  • February 16th
    Lottery to select new scholars. If we have more applications than available seats, scholars are placed on a waitlist.
  • March 3rd – March 31st
    Acceptance and wait-listed notices go out to all applicants. Families are given 14 business days to confirm enrollment for the upcoming school year.
  • Spring/Summer
    Applications continue to be accepted and families placed on a waitlist in the order in which they were received. Waitlisted applicants will be contacted as seats become available. Families who are on the waitlist enroll on a first-come, first-serve basis.

What is the open lottery process?

In the event that we receive more applicants than seats available, Hiawatha is required to conduct a lottery.

  • In the event that it is needed the lottery will take place on February 16th.
  • Families will be notified of their enrollment status after March 3rd.
  • All new applications will be entered into the lottery. Enrollment will be determined based on the order selected from the lottery.

What is the order of enrollment preferences?
  1. Currently enrolled students: Receive primary enrollment preference and will not be entered into the lottery.
  2. Siblings or foster siblings of currently enrolled students: Siblings of currently enrolled students have preference before children of staff and general lottery applicants.
  3. Children of staff: Children of staff receive preference before general lottery applicants.
  4. General Lottery Enrollment: New student applications will be accepted on a rolling basis as long as spots remain open.
Order of admission preference
  • Currently enrolled students: Receive primary enrollment preference.
  • Siblings or foster siblings of currently enrolled students: Siblings of currently enrolled students have preference before children of staff and general lottery applicants. In the event of more siblings than spots available, a sibling lottery is held and establishes a sibling waiting list.
  • Children of staff: Children of staff receive preference before prior year waiting list students and general lottery applicants. In the event of more children of staff applicants than spots available, a staff-children lottery is held and establishes a staff-children waiting list.
  • General Lottery Enrollment: In the event that there are more new applicants than spots available, a lottery will be conducted. New student applications must be submitted by February 15th to be considered for the general lottery. The lottery is conducted from highest grade to lowest grade to fill all available enrollment spots. The lottery is also continued in order to assign waitlist positions based on the order selected.
  • Siblings of enrolled students from the general lottery: In the event that a family has multiple siblings applying for more than one grade, sibling preference will apply as soon as enrollment is determined in the lottery grade. In the event, a sibling waiting list exists, the sibling of the general lottery enrolled student will be added to the sibling waitlist based on the order selected.
  • Applications received after the February 15th deadline: Applications received AFTER the February 15th deadline will be placed on the general waitlist on a first come first serve basis following the lottery process.

**In rare circumstances with board approval, the executive director has the authority to exceed enrollment capacity on a case by case basis.
Waitlist preference
Applications received after the February 15th deadline will be placed on the waitlist on a first come first serve basis following the lottery process.

Completing enrollment

In order to confirm enrollment at Hiawatha Academies, guardians fill out the confirmation form electronically.

Commitments to Excellence contracts
At the time of enrollment, families who join Hiawatha Academies are asked to sign a Commitment to Excellence Contract for their chosen campus.

Though each school has its own Commitment to Excellence, the goal for each is the same: to outline expectations for parents/guardians and scholars in order to achieve our shared mission of nurturing scholars empowered with the knowledge, character, and leadership skills to graduate from college and serve the common good.

Providing Hiawatha Academies with student household information
Guardians are required to provide us with all their children's and household information pertaining to Hiawatha's policy and legal requirements. You can view the parent portal process called e-update here.
 

Kindergarten readiness of your child(ern)

 

How old should my student be to be eligible for kindergarten?

New Kindergarten applications must be of age 5 on or before September 1st. Applicants who turn age 5 between September 2nd and December must undergo early childhood readiness testing.

What are my next steps for early childhood testing if my student is born between September 2nd and December 31st?
  • Indicate on their application for admission that the student will turn five between September 2 and December 31.
  • Applications for Early K Admission will be considered immediately after Hiawatha’s general lottery. A child eligible for Early K will be admitted if space is available. While a spot may be offered, enrollment is contingent on meeting the following criteria within one month of the offer of contingent admission and prior to starting school.
    • Children must complete an Early Childhood Screening* before they may enroll in the school. Contact Early Childhood Screening at 612-668-3715 to schedule a screening appointment.
    • The screening results must be shared with the school office and reviewed by school leaders. If the child passes the four Developmental screens, they will be considered eligible for Kindergarten and may enroll. 

*In 2018 Hiawatha Academies began a partnership with Minneapolis’s Early Childhood Screening program, whose aim it is to provide a universal early childhood screen to all children in Minneapolis. The screen evaluates a student’s readiness for kindergarten, in addition to health and development that could impact a child’s learning. The screening is provided free of charge, regardless of the school the student plans to attend.

What is the Early Kindergarten Admissions process?
If a child turns five years old between September 2 and December 31, they may be eligible for consideration for early admission to kindergarten, based on the following procedures:

  • Applicants must indicate on the student’s application for admission that the student will turn five between September 2 and December 31.
  • Children must complete a classroom observation and an Early Childhood Screening before they may enroll in the school.
  • The screening results must be shared with the school office. If the child passes the four Developmental screens and is assessed by the classroom observation teacher as kindergarten-ready, they will be considered eligible for Kindergarten and may enroll.
  • Applications for early admission to kindergarten will be considered immediately after Hiawatha’s general lottery. Students recommended for early admission to kindergarten will be enrolled after all kindergarten-eligible students are placed and there is additional space available.
  • While a spot may be offered, enrollment is contingent on the screening of the child’s knowledge and understanding, physical motor skills, communication skills, social/emotional development, and observation in a kindergarten classroom.

 

After my child is admitted to Hiawatha Academies

 

When is the first day of school?

Hiawatha Academies' first day of school is 3rd week of August. You will receive exact dates and information during the enrollment confirmation process.

Admittance during the school year

In the event that a spot is open after the first day of school but before the last day of school, and there is a child on a waitlist waiting to fill that spot, rolling enrollment will be limited to the following window, and during this window will always be on a “top of the waiting list first” basis. The window is from the first day of school to March 1st.

During the enrollment window, if a kindergarten applicant is selected off the waiting list to fill an available spot, the child must have attended another school or program that is subject to compulsory attendance during the school year.